Is Gonzaga the best program on the West Coast?

Arizona is in trouble. Hasn't made a Final Four in 15 years I believe.

Oregon is trying but probably never going to be a perennial contender

UCLA can't seem to figure it out. Only Howland was successful for them these past 20 years

Who else is there? And how pathetic is this? And do we even care?

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Gladstone

Unquestionably, yes. Few is also a hof coach.

Miley_Cyrus

Yes-- and it is truly pathetic. Few is a top 5 coach IMO, but a shitty catholic school in Spokane should not be running circles around the PAC.

It starts with better coaching. We'll see what replaces Miller and Alford, the PAC desperately needs those hires to be good.

In football we're seeing the same thing. Thank god for Chip.

dnc

You can't be a top 5 coach if you hardly ever win in March.

Few is Tony Bennett with slightly better recruiting and slightly less embarrassing losses. Very good coach. Probably worthy HOF'er.

Not elite as long as he only has one F4 on his resume.

But yes they're the premier program on the West Coast.

Sark > Ty

FremontTroll

Lets revisit this in a few days. Only Florida State stands between the Zags and their third Elite Eight in four years.

Yes Few was upset three times in the second round as a 1-3 seed (2004, 2005, 2013) but he also reached the Sweet 16s three times as a 10 or worse seed (2000, 2001, 2016.)

CuntWaffle

Sean Miller is Romar on steroids.

dnc

2 Elite 8s and a Final 4 in 19 years = Elite coach?

Sorry man, can't get behind that. If he wins a title this year we can revisit this conversation. Otherwise his results in March have been too mediocre for one more E8 run to overcome.

Tequilla

Few has no excuse to not have another F4 this year

PurpleThrobber

People forget it took John Wooden 16 years before he made it to a Final Four.

FremontTroll

At a program like Gonzaga, yes.

Yes, prior to the last few years Gonzaga had a few chokes in the Dance. But people forget how ridiculously unlikely it was for Gonzaga to become a perennial high seed in the first place.

Gonzaga's first NIT appearance ever was 1994. First NCAA appearance ever was 1995. Their first tournament win ever was 1999 which, luckily for the Zags, Monson quickly parlayed into a big contract at Minnesota. Shades of Dan Hawkins to Colorado.

Prior to Few becoming an assistant they had only won their conference two times EVER. They won the conference four times in ten years while he was an assistant. And now 17 times in 19 years with Few in charge.

Few's success at the mid-major level is unprecedented. The closest recent comparison I can think of is Gregg Marshall at Wichita State.

Tournament record: 10-7. vs. 28-18
NCAA appearances: 7 in 11 years vs. 19 in 19.
Deepest runs: Two S16, one F4 in 11 years vs Seven S16, two E8, one runner up in 19 years (and still alive.)
Conf Champs: Five in 11 years vs. 17 in 19 years.
Overall winning pct: .747 vs. .821

mobey

Last time GU didn't win at least one NCAA game was 11 years ago (counting this year).

In that time they've had 3 S16, two E8 and a championship game.

"Hardly ever win in March?"

PurpleThrobber

Gonzaga is what Arizona thinks it is.

WilburHooksHands

fuck this thread

TierbsHsotBoobs

with a rusty cheese grater

#sideways

JaWarrenJaHooker

Conical?

dnc

So they're 3-8 in their last 11 games in the round of 32.

Thanks for proving my point. Shit, that's worse than I even thought.

RoadDawg55

It's a tiny school in Spokane that plays in a shitty conference. They beat big time teams every year and has made a Natty. I know you hate Gonzaga, but you're going doog on this one.

No other mid major teams comes close to the sustained success of Gonzaga.

dnc

I'm not arguing he sucks. I said he's a very good coach. Losing more often than not in the second round once you've had time to establish your program does not make you a top 5 coach in the country, I don't care where you're coaching at.

I get that comparables are difficult because nobody else has ever hung around at a small school this long when they had much better options like Few has, but if you're going to spend two decades at a shit school you better do more than make the tournament every year if you want to be considered a top 5 coach.

I don't think Few gaf about being considered a top 5 coach or he would have gone somewhere else long ago, but his track record in March is not that of an elite coach.

Doogs have low standards.

PurpleThrobber

Few is top 10 - not individually but because he's got mothers as assistants.

If he ever lost Tommy Lloyd, he'd be fucked. Few can barely complete a sentence on his own. Lloyd is the closer on these foreign recruits. Lloyd has Starbucks cups stashed all over the world.

Donny Daniels is a mother fucking closer, too. On the recruiting trail, the bruthas mamas get wet at his dulcid tones when he starts sweet talking them. Little do they know he is doing white women exclusively in Spokane. White women in Spokane love the BBC more than UODuckGirl.

Few also brings in reject coaches so they can rehabilitate and then go elsewhere. Ken Bone spent a year there as an 'unpaid' assistant. Ray Giacoletti hunkered down for a couple years after getting fired at Utah.

Few isn't elite on his own but he surrounds himself with a ridiculously good staff. Which makes him elite.

haie

Gonzaga? Who the fuck? Never seen them in Husky Stadium. Zzz

PurpleThrobber

https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/gonzaga/1932-schedule.html

https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/gonzaga/1933-schedule.html

@RaceBannon was there.

Pitchfork51

MORE than uoduckgirl?

Impossible

PurpleThrobber

You realize there is a massive shortage of BBC in Spokane compared to Maryland, right?

BBC is a highly valued commodity in that town. More rare than books in Todd Graham's library.

Too soon?

huskyhooligan

Fuck Gonzaga.

Kaepsknee

This is Gonzaga, Still a small school located in Eastern Washington.

Few should be Sainted for making one E-8 let alone 2 and a Finals appearance.

Pitchfork51

Nah.

Here's the timeline.

uoduckgirl gains freshman 15

realizes black dudes are into her

bangs whole football team

becomes BBC addict under guise of being a big fan of oregon football

cant get enough in eugene

moves to maryland

mobey

Top 16 college basketball teams since 2000

Which teams had a bigger hill to climb of these 16?

mobey

Winning percentage in the NCAA tourney

Look down this list and tell me what other mid major is higher or what other coach with a better winning percentage doesn't have obvious advantages over Few.

RaceBannon

The answer is yes and it isn't close

BTW Howland went to three straight Final Fours. Got blazed by Florida twice in a row

RoadDawg55

Howland definitely had the best three year run of any West Coast school.

Few is a great coach and imo, you can't really compare what he does to what Roy Williams, K, Calipari, Self, etc. The fact he coaches at Gonzaga needs to be taken into account. He's done an amazing job and last year cemented him as a truly great coach. I won't be surprised if Gonzaga makes the Final 4 again this year. Eventually, he's going to back in the Final 4 again.

The only two recent mid major coaches in Few's league have been Marshall (being generous), and Stevens.

PurpleThrobber

Watched Howland last night in the NIT. Absolutely destroyed Louisville. Two or three years in and he has Mississippi fucking State looking like Kentucky. Several big recruits coming in, too.

He'll be back in a high level P5 job soon enough. That fucker can coach it.

Comments

Gladstone

Unquestionably, yes. Few is also a hof coach.

Sean Miller is Romar on steroids.

dnc

Tequilla

Few has no excuse to not have another F4 this year

PurpleThrobber

People forget it took John Wooden 16 years before he made it to a Final Four.

FremontTroll

mobey

Last time GU didn't win at least one NCAA game was 11 years ago (counting this year).

In that time they've had 3 S16, two E8 and a championship game.

"Hardly ever win in March?"

PurpleThrobber

Gonzaga is what Arizona thinks it is.

WilburHooksHands

fuck this thread

TierbsHsotBoobs

with a rusty cheese grater

#sideways

JaWarrenJaHooker

Conical?

dnc

So they're 3-8 in their last 11 games in the round of 32.

Thanks for proving my point. Shit, that's worse than I even thought.

Gonzaga? Who the fuck? Never seen them in Husky Stadium. Zzz

PurpleThrobber

https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/gonzaga/1932-schedule.html

https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/gonzaga/1933-schedule.html

@RaceBannon was there.

Pitchfork51

MORE than uoduckgirl?

Impossible

PurpleThrobber

You realize there is a massive shortage of BBC in Spokane compared to Maryland, right?

BBC is a highly valued commodity in that town. More rare than books in Todd Graham's library.

Too soon?

huskyhooligan

Fuck Gonzaga.

Kaepsknee

This is Gonzaga, Still a small school located in Eastern Washington.

Few should be Sainted for making one E-8 let alone 2 and a Finals appearance.

Pitchfork51

mobey

Top 16 college basketball teams since 2000

Which teams had a bigger hill to climb of these 16?

mobey

Winning percentage in the NCAA tourney

Look down this list and tell me what other mid major is higher or what other coach with a better winning percentage doesn't have obvious advantages over Few.

RaceBannon

The answer is yes and it isn't close

BTW Howland went to three straight Final Fours. Got blazed by Florida twice in a row

RoadDawg55

PurpleThrobber